2012 Nîmes Flamenco Festival. Lecture: A History of Flamenco Guitar, by José Manuel Gamboa

Flamenco festivals aren’t just a series of performances, but also forums for knowledge and the spread of information. Halfway through the morning on Thursday, January 19th, the lecture program of the French festival’s twenty-second edition, which is held daily at the Bar du Théâtre, starred José Manuel Gamboa. The researcher and writer offered a self-illustrated journey through the milestones of flamenco guitar history, translated into French by journalist Nadia Messaoudi. In a relaxed tone and suitable for all audiences, but rich and clear in information and analysis, the author of fundamental works like 'Una historia del flamenco' (‘A History of Flamenco’) pointed out the top figures of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, illustrating each turning point with a sample of toque that he himself performed on the guitar.

José Manuel Gamboa, 'Una historia de la guitarra flamenca' (Photo Daniel Muñoz)

To start off his lecture, Gamboa traveled to the 19th century, where he marked the beginning of his story in the figure of El Murciano, whose still pre-flamenco toque “was based on the bolero rhythm”. The second half of the century, as he explained, starred “the real creator of flamenco guitar, Patiño, who made a radical change by putting the strong time at the end of the 3x4 measure”. And at that time when only strumming and thumb were used, “downwards”, the jaleo thus sounded, “mother of the soleá”. A style which even today, in his opinion, relies on that primitive reference. In Seville, he emphasized the rhythmic contribution of Antonio Pérez, specialized in toque for cante. And as an example, he performed an excerpt of primitive bulería.

The 19th century was closed, providing more complexity in technique, by Paco de Lucena. There is proof of his solo concerts in Paris. That tocaor, whom many maintain was Andrés Segovia’s father, influenced Diego del Gastor. “The well-known melody in 'Rito y geografía del cante' was by Paco de Lucena, taken elsewhere, but with his musical concept”. Then in the 20th century, as Gamboa stated, springing up from Patiño’s school in Cádiz was José Capinetti, “who contributed the alegrías in the key of C, the way everybody plays it today”. And appearing from the same school, then in Seville and Madrid, were Juan Gandulla 'Habichuela' and Javier Molina, “the creator of modern flamenco guitar and whom all of Jerez guitar until our days is owed to”. His eighty years of teaching is reflected in many guitarists, from Perico del Lunar to Manuel Morao, with Paco Cepero as well as the current Moraos and Parrillas in between. And he illustrated it with a seguiriyas falseta which was always in the repertoire of Moraíto, whose memory this edition of the Nîmes festival is dedicated to.

But of all his students, the one to develop the most important career was Niño Ricardo, who created “a new concept: upward toque”. The lecturer illustrated it with his most significant toque; that of fandangos. From Molina’s branch he also pointed out other good accompanists for cante like Melchor de Marchena, Manolo de Badajoz and Manolo de Huelva, who “stood out in toque with his thumb, in his sense of rhythm”. Gamboa maintains that “the fundamental things then happened in Madrid, where there were daily dealings between flamenco guitarists and classical guitarists”. And deriving from that exchange of technique is Ramón Montoya, “whose artistic father was Miguel Borrull, Tárrega’s pupil”. From him comes “the first great guitar solo, the rondeña, a piece which has been recorded by every great guitarist since then and which we heard Niño Josele play here just yesterday in the introduction to his concert”. And he close the lecture by playing a sample by maestro Montoya “that joins every technique” of flamenco guitar up until now. Let’s go por granaínas, maestro Gamboa.